STV CNC SparX 4400

The STV CNC SparX 4400 is a 4 ft x 4 ft CNC plasma table, the bolt-together table in the STV CNC range, shipped in crates and assembled on site. It is the smallest full-size table in its series: the square cutting envelope takes half of a 4 x 8 sheet at a time, which suits brackets, gussets, signs and one-off repair parts more than long nested runs.

Everything about the frame is bolted. The legs, the braces and the separate water pans, each 3 in deep, go together from the crates with the maker's manual, a job STV CNC puts at 4 to 5 hours, and the pan joints have to be sealed with waterproof silicone before the table is filled. Plate capacity is 1.5 in of steel. An assembled extruded aluminum gantry rides on linear guides and is moved by rack and pinion, with 5.5 in of Z travel on a ball lead screw. Four NEMA stepper motors drive the axes directly at a 1:1 ratio, and a 3:1 gear reduction system is something the buyer adds later, not part of this table.

Floor space is the argument for this size. STV CNC gives the occupied area as about 6 ft x 6 ft x 5 ft, so it fits a bay where a full-sheet table would block the aisle. The water table holds about 44 gallons, a small enough volume to drain and clean in one go. Sheets have to be sheared or cut down to 4 ft before loading, so the nearest steel supplier's cut-to-size service matters more here than on a 4 x 8 machine.

MyPlasmCNC is the control, and STV CNC itself calls it the basic system for beginners. It is a download that runs on a Windows PC the buyer provides, linked to the control box by USB, and it opens .dxf, .plt and .tap files. Torch height control, a magnetic breakaway, a collision switch and ohmic material sensing come with the base table, so a tip-up or a missed pierce does not have to end in a bent torch. The plasma cutter is bought separately.